


What's Left of Me

by moineausombre (theinsaneeraser)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mentioned Child Prostitution, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:33:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6570013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinsaneeraser/pseuds/moineausombre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel Pierre by day, Sparrow by night. Daniel had sold his body for a warm bed and decent food for as long as he could remember. Having escaped the hell of an abusive home only to be thrust into the hell of living on the streets, only the memory of his first meeting with Chat Noir to get him through the day. Miink, his Kwami faithfully stays by his side, his only friend, as he tries to make it in a world that seems hellbent on destroying him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This has not been beta'd, I currently have no beta reader, but if your willing, and your a mutual on my rp account http://moineausombre.tumblr.com/, please let me know!

He shivered as he ran his hands up and down his arms, his eyes to the rooftops as he kept to the shadows. His breaths came out in large puffs of white as his fingers clung to the hoodie that separated him from hypothermia.  It was the middle of winter, and he’d yet to find a suitable place to stay. He’d tried the shelters, but because of his age they quickly shipped him off to social services, where he was situated with a family; a place he didn’t belong. He didn’t belong with the laughing and happy children in that group home, but he didn’t belong in the other either.

He didn’t belong anywhere.

The sound of police cars sent him to the alleyway in fear as he huddled down behind a dumpster, someplace to keep warm. He didn’t want to get caught, not with the stolen bread hidden in his pockets. He had heard what happened to thieves, some type of children jail where the young ones got picked on and beat up by the older kids. It was a scary place that he did not wish to visit. He’d serviced four years on the streets; he had no wish to be taken someplace where he’d be trapped.

He let out a breath as the sirens slowly ebbed away, leaving him alone with his thoughts. His eyes darted once again to the roofs, and this time the fire escape that lead to them. He always loved the rooftops, it was as close to the stars – and freedom – as he could get, and he often found himself drawn there. Steeling himself he rubbed his hands together between his legs for warmth before he made his way up the rails – having to jump a few times to catch the ladder – and towards his playground.

The wind up top lashed at his back and legs but the sight of the twinkling stars made him momentarily forget the frigid air. He smiled and raised his arms to either side of himself before starting to spin. He closed his eyes and imagined himself dancing among the stars that would keep him warm. He’d read in a book that stars were burning gasses, and he was sure he’d slept many a warm nights among them. He’d be safe there, away from Paris’ streets.

He didn’t see the patch of ice.

He let out a startled sound as his arms flew out to try and steady himself as he slid backwards. The foot still on the ground connected with the lip of the edge of the roof and no matter how much he flailed, he couldn’t keep himself from falling backwards and off the roof. He let out a loud cry as his eyes clenched tight, as thoughts of his imminent death filled his mind. He prepared himself for impact, wishing he had been able to do more than what he’d accomplished before he died.

But impact never came.

“Whoa there.” Came a voice and a hand wrapped around his ankle, stopping his decent. He opened his eyes, wide as he was slowly lifted back up onto the rooftop, but tears blocked his vision. He quickly wiped them away as he was frightened and was met by a strange sight. “You’ve got to be more careful then that, spinning around on icy rooftops are dangerous and should be left to professionals.” The teen blinked with bright green eyes.

All of his eyes were green, and framed by a black mask. He wore tight black leather, with white fluff around the edges, most likely to help keep him warm. He had a long black tail that swayed behind him, and atop the boys head was a set of cat ears. He’d seen the boy before – they had to be close in age – a superhero who protected Paris with a partner named Ladybug.

“Chat Noir.” He gasped, his heart picking up pace as it tried to slam out of his chest.

“You’re a fan?” He looked hopeful, and he couldn’t help but nod. “Well, I’ll hope that my fan has learned his lesson about dancing on rooftops?” Another nod. “Good. Now, you should get home, it’s dangerous out here at night, alright?”

“Daniel.”

“Daniel?” Chat Noir tilted his head.

“My name is Daniel.” Daniel smiled and threw his arms around the superhero. “Thank you.”

Chat Noir looked a little shocked before softening and hugging Daniel back. Daniel took in his scent – earthy and warm – before the hug was broken. Chat Noir urged him once again to go home, and even helped him off the roof to the safety of the ground below. Daniel watched as he used his staff to get to the rooftops once more, and then waved and bounced out of sight. Daniel’s chest felt warm for the first time in his life, and he couldn’t help but place a hand over his heart.

“I’ve seen you around here a lot kid.” Came a voice from the shadows, causing Daniel to jump and turn towards them. “It’s pretty cold out here, you must be freezing.” He smiled and held out a coat, though Daniel eyed it wearily. “Don’t worry; I don’t have a home either.” The man explained, though Daniel was still unsure about him. “If you follow me, you can join the rest of us, none of us have homes, or beds.”

Daniel didn’t trust him, but a girl; maybe a year or two older than him came over, snagged the coat and giggled as she held it out to him.

“Don’t let my brother scare you; he’s not that great with socializing with kids.” She grinned and Daniel scowled. “But don’t worry, we have a warm fire going for now, and then we’ll all be heading to bed.”

“I thought you didn’t have a home.”

“We don’t, but we have ways of getting beds.” She smiled and held out a hand. “How would you like to have good food and a bed every night to sleep in?”

“What’s the catch.”

“It’ll cost of course.” She giggled.

“I don’t have any money.” Daniel eyed here, though he did shrug on the coat.

“Don’t worry, it won’t cost money.”


	2. The Daily Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started with a long hot shower, the later the night the longer the shower. He then tried to make himself look presentable, brushing his hair and applying concealer when needed. Then he brushed his teeth and used mouthwash – if it was provided – and finally he used the toilet. Then it was time to find his clothes – if they weren’t wrecked – and slip them on. After that it was time to grab some breakfast and head out for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also unbeta'd, and though it it refers to his night job, there is no nsfw content. There is a warning for depression. It's not talked about, but it is very obvious he has it.

Daniel splashed the cold water on his face, scrubbing it into his skin as he tried – and failed – to wash away the dark circles under his eyes. It had been a long night, and it showed. He hated when his nights went on longer, cutting into his sleep. He always needed to get up early to leave, and he couldn’t help the sigh as he looked in the mirror, his messy brown hair framing his face, his deep green eyes staring hollowly back at him. He wrinkled his nose and reached for a toothbrush and toothpaste, and went about his morning routine.

It started with a long hot shower, the later the night the longer the shower. He then tried to make himself look presentable, brushing his hair and applying concealer when needed. Then he brushed his teeth and used mouthwash – if it was provided – and finally he used the toilet. Then it was time to find his clothes – if they weren’t wrecked – and slip them on. After that it was time to grab some breakfast and head out for the day.

Daniel was in the midst of pulling on his jeans when he felt a soft pressure on his head of something nestling in his hair. He smiled softly – a rare sight – and reached up to gently pet the Kwami who rested there. “Good morning Miink.” He chuckled and slid his belt into place and buckled it. “I hope you didn’t get kept up too late.” He gently pet the feathers of Miink’s wings, smiling when Miink began to preen him in return.

“I was more worried about you, Daniel.” Miink stated as she worked through the mess that was Daniel’s hair. “He wasn’t too rough with you, was he?”

Daniel smiled again and closed his eyes as he relished – as always – in Miink’s worry and concern. He still wasn’t sure why Miink had come back to him, after he’d left his Miraculous at Chat’s house. He’d followed him back there one day, knowing that Ladybug could purify the corrupted Miraculous. He’d never expected Miink to come looking for him, and choose him to keep the Miraculous. Miink’s friendship had been invaluable through everything that he had been through, and had kept him sane through times when he’d rather of just lost his mind.

“Nothing I’m not used too.” He reassured the Kwami as he reached for his shirt and slid it on. “It wasn’t as bad as the last one.” He continued and buttoned up the dress shirt. This one belonged to his last bed owner, who had ripped his shirt to shreds. It was warmer, spring was in the air, but not warm enough for him to walk around shirtless. So he snagged a nice dress shirt – a forest green – and indulged himself in high end food, that still made his mouth water just thinking about it.

“Daniel…”

“I’m okay Miink; you really don’t need to worry so much about me.” Daniel assured the Kwami as he made his way towards the kitchen. “And I made sure they got your favourite.” He winked. “It was the consultation for it lasting so long.”

He chuckled when Miink simply sighed in response – a sound he was used to hearing -  set his Kwami down on the counter, where the sunflowers sat inside a bowl. He made his way towards the fridge, which was situated against the left side between a wall and a counter. The kitchen itself was small, just big enough for two people before coming crowded, with limited space. It was a bachelor’s suite, with the living room and bedroom as one room, and a small bathroom and kitchen.

But it had been a warm bed, and good food.

Daniel wrinkled his nose at the amount of beer – he wasn’t a fan – but found what he was looking for. He pulled out the pancakes that had been put in there for him, and put them in the microwave to heat up. Daniel couldn’t cook – he’d nearly burnt down a house trying – and so he made sure that as part of the pay, they had to make him breakfast, and have dinner for him. The food was always good – he made sure it wasn’t just a TV dinner – and Miink got to feast on the best sunflower seeds out there.

Daniel smothered the pancakes in butter and syrup before he sat down, humming softly. While most things in life didn’t bring him joy anymore, food was one of the two things – the other being Miink – that could cheer him right up. Food had never betrayed him, food had never lead him room; Food was just food. He hadn’t found food that he didn’t like, and so to him, it was the Holy Grail. It never failed to bring a smile to his face as soon as it touched his tongue.

He just loved food.

Miink giggled when Daniel made a sound of pleasure and Daniel grinned at his Kwami. “What’s so funny, huh? These pancakes are really good!” Miink just continued to giggle as she munched on her sunflower seeds and Daniel reached forward to run his fingers over her head. “I like it when you’re happy too, you know Miink.” Daniel often wondered if Miink would have been better off if she never found him, and hated to see the sadness in her eyes whenever he had a rough night. “If you want to make me happy, never lose your smile. Okay? As long as you smile, I’ll have a reason to smile.”

“You’re a good boy Daniel.” Miink smiled and held out a sunflower to him.

Daniel took the sunflower and smiled back, knowing that sharing her sunflower seeds was a sign of affection. He munched it happily and offered some pancake to Miink who nibbled it wi9th a bright smile. It was moments like these that Daniel cherished the most, when it was just him and Miink, when things felt just a little bit normal for once. Daniel wished moments like these lasted longer than they did, but with a quick check of the time, he knew it would end faster than he hoped.

He quickly finished his pancakes before grabbing a sandwich bag for the left over sunflower seeds, and then they were on their way.

It was still pretty early in the day, too early to scan the local gay bars – which he was well known at – so instead he decided to head to his favourite place in the world. It was a fair bit of a walk to get there, but with Miink nestled in his pocket, he didn’t mind. The crisp spring air was pleasant, requiring only a light jacket to keep him comfortable and most people were at work, meaning the streets weren’t overly crowded. He could enjoy himself without having to worry about bumping into anyone.

Daniel stretched his arms above his head as he reached the library. It was pretty empty, due to most of the kids being in school, and it was how he preferred it. He made his way inside, and offered a slight wave as the librarian – Daniel couldn’t remember her name – welcomed him. He was known here, as he often visited, it was a smaller library so even on weekends it was usually still quiet.

Daniel scanned the books, most of which he had already read, before pulling out one of the newer ones. He made his way to a corner, by a window that looked over a park and settled into the bean bag chair that everyone had designated for him. No one here knew of his life style, as it was far out of the way from where he worked, and he’d heard whispers about him being a foreigner, or maybe a prince. Daniel didn’t believe he had the looks for a prince, but a lot of girls tried to get his number.

Too bad Daniel was gay.

He often found it annoying, and he was very open about his sexuality, in hopes of stopping them from fawning over him. He came to the library to read in peace, though the librarian was pretty good at running the girls off. She was kind, and yet Daniel couldn’t remember her name. She just didn’t matter to him, there was only one person, whose name he remembered and that was Chat Noir. He often found himself forgetting about Ladybug, but would remember when he saw the statue or heard her being talked about.

She wasn’t important either.

Daniel yawned a little and stretched, Miink curled up on his stomach, hidden by his book, and debated taking a nap. His eyes fluttered closed, and he had just relaxed when there was an explosion from the park beside them. The glass blew out from the window, and Daniel barely rolled off – pulling the bean bag on top of himself – in time. There were cries from the people in the library, and laughter coming from the one responsible. Daniel pushed the bean bag up and turned to look, his eyes narrowing in recognition at the man standing there.

A blast from the past he was seeing more and more lately.

“Daniel!”

“I know Miink.” Daniel dashed to the bathroom, one that had a window big enough he could crawl through, and swiped his fingers over his bracelet. “Miink, transform me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments are very, very welcome. I would very much like feedback on this fan fic, since it's my first in the ML fandom, and will let me know if a, I should continue to post and write it, and if I should maybe consider other fics. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


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